Dan Hurley was determined to throw shade at Illinois and those who favored them over UConn for their Final Four clash on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The UConn head coach exhibited his usual post-win swagger as he spoke to reporters following his Huskies’ 71-62 victory over the Illini. Despite entering the contest with a higher seed and a better record, UConn was considered a slight underdog against an Illinois team that had steamrolled through its competition through the Elite 8.
Hurley did not understand why that was the case and made sure to let the world know while answering an unrelated question.
“You’re coming into the game as an underdog versus a team you beat by 13 points earlier in the season, which was kind of surprising, you know? That’s how we kind of came into the game,” said Hurley.
“Obviously, I’ve been waiting to say that, and now I forgot your question. Just sitting on that, though. Just in case no one asked.”
UConn recorded a wire-to-wire victory over Illinois when the two teams faced off at Madison Square Garden in November. Illini star guard Keaton Wagler played just 14 minutes and scored three points in that contest.
Wagler tallied a game-high 20 on Saturday against UConn’s defense but could not change the result of the rematch.
Hurley’s bravado rubs some folks the wrong way at times, as evidenced by him getting booed after UConn’s Final Four win. But nobody can deny that the man knows how to win and, when needed, gain the favor of the basketball gods for some miraculous plays.
